Table of Contents
(listed from northwest to southeast)

Carmel Valley (1)

Otter Cove, Garrapata (4)

Bixby Creek, Little Sur (6)

Point Sur (10)

Andrew Molera, Pfeiffer Beach (3)

The Big Sur Valley (2)

Ventana Wilderness (4)

Post Summit (4)

Partington Ridge (2)

Julia Pfeiffer Burns (3)

Esalen and Big Creek (3)

Lucia and Limekiln Creek (6)

Nacimiento Road (4)

Cone Peak (7)

Plasket Creek, Gorda (4)

Salmon Creek, Ragged Point (8)

Piedras Blancas, San Simeon (3)

Cambria and Cayucos (6)

Morro Bay (8)

Montaña de Oro State Park (6)

Avila and Pismo Beach (3)

Guadalupe, Point Sal, Surf (3)

(see also the Fullscreen Versions)

Complete Listing (see also the Fullscreen Versions)
listed from northwest to southeast

Carmel Valley

The Carmel River in spring at Garland Park in Carmel Valley.

Otter Cove and Garrapata State Park

Big winter surf south of Yankee Point. (1-7-06)

Big surf north of Soberanes Point. (4-29-00)

On the clifftops above Soberanes Cove. (4-29-00)

Rocky Point, with the famous restaurant. (1-7-06)

Bixby Creek and the Little Sur River

Bixby Creek Bridge, from Highway One on the northwest side. (1-7-06)

Bixby Creek Bridge from the inland side, Bixby Canyon. (1-7-06)

The famous view from Hurricane Point. (4-28-00)

Looking south from near Hurricane Point, on a stabilized landslide. (1-7-06)

Highway One above the mouth of the Little Sur River. (1-7-06)

Morning fog in the Little Sur basin, from Bottchers Gap.

Point Sur

Point Sur from Highway One. (1-8-06)

Beginning the ascent of Point Sur on the narrow access road. (1-8-06)

"Macon Corner" on the Point Sur road, looking out to sea where the dirigible crashed. (1-8-06)

The Point Sur access road winds around the south and west sides of the rock. (1-8-06)

Approaching the lightouse on Point Sur. (1-8-06)

The Point Sur Lighthouse, dating from 1889. (1-8-06)

Docent-led tour at the north end of Point Sur. (1-8-06)

The reconstructed water tower (cell phone antenna) on Point Sur. (1-8-06)

The lighthouse keeper's house and triplex atop Point Sur. (1-8-06)

Looking east from the lighthouse keeper's house on Point Sur. (1-8-06)

Andrew Molera and Pfeiffer Beach

Pfeiffer Beach at the mouth of Sycamore Canyon. (1-7-06)

Surf explodes through an arch in the rocks at Pfeiffer Beach. (1-7-06)

Winter surf at Pfeiffer Beach. (1-7-06)

The Big Sur Valley

Restoration area in the redwood grove campground at Pfeiffer-Big Sur State Park. (1-7-06)

On the Mount Manuel trail above the Big Sur River Gorge. (4-30-00)

The Ventana Wilderness in the Santa Lucia Mountains

A firebreak on the Mount Manuel trail. (4-30-00)

Ferns on a limestone outcrop in the tanoak forest. (4-30-00)

The first view of the Ventana Cones on the Mount Manuel trail. (4-30-00)

From the south end of the summit ridge on Mount Manuel. (4-30-00)

Post Summit and Nepenthe

On the terrace at the famous Nepenthe resturant. (1-8-06)

Looking south to Grimes Point from Highway One. (1-8-06)

South of Grimes Point, 620 feet above the ocean. (1-8-06)

Partington Ridge and Cove

Landslide repair at the base of Partington Ridge. (1-8-06)

Tanbark loading gantry at Partington Cove.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Waterfall Cove at sunset, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. (1-9-06)

Ruins of the old house at Waterfall Cove.

Waterfall Cove in the afternoon sunlight.

Esalen and Big Creek

Debris nets on the landslides north of Big Creek. (1-8-06)

On a sharp ridgeline below the road at Gamboa Point. (1-8-06)

Winter storm along the Big Sur coast.

Lucia and Limekiln Creek

On the Limekiln Creek Bridge, Cone Peak rising a mile above. (1-9-06)

Redwood forest at Limekiln Creek, near the fork in the stream.

The old lime kilns in Limekiln Canyon.

The best campsite on the Big Sur coast.

The rocky beach at Kirk Creek.

A cut-off curve on the coast highway, southern Big Sur coast. (1-8-06)

The Nacimiento Road

Fog creeping into Mill Creek Canyon.

Mill Creek Canyon above the Big Sur coast.

The Nacimiento Road above Mill Creek Canyon.

A rocky outcrop above the Nacimiento River on the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.

Cone Peak

On the trail to Cone Peak above the Big Sur coast.

Looking southwest from Cone Peak.

On the south side of Cone Peak in the Santa Lucia Mountai

Looking north from Cone Peak.

At the northeast corner of the fire lookout on Cone Peak.

Looking southwest from the historic Cone Peak Lookout.

Cone Peak, rising a mile above the ocean.

Plaskett Creek and Gorda

On the point at Plaskett Rock, Cone Peak to north. (1-9-06)

Meadows on the marine terrace at Plaskett Creek. (1-9-06)

The town of Gorda, southern Big Sur coast. (1-9-06)

Villa Creek, one of the steepest canyons on the Big Sur coast. (1-9-06)

Salmon Creek and Ragged Point

Salmon Creek Canyon and Highway One. (1-9-06)

Near the base of Salmon Creek Falls. (1-9-06)

A sidehill viaduct over a slide area, Highway One south of Salmon Creek. (1-9-06)

On Highway One just north of the Ragged Point Inn. (1-9-06)

On the lawn at Ragged Point Inn. (1-9-06)

Viewpoint at the tip of Ragged Point. (1-9-06)

Blackswift Falls at Ragged Point, during a storm.

San Carpoforo Creek, southern end of the Big Sur coast. (1-9-06)

Point Piedras Blancas and San Simeon

Elephant seals giving birth on the beach south of Point Piedras Blacas. (1-9-06)

Grazing land on the vast Hearst Ranch, Hearst Castle in distance. (1-9-06)

On the pier at San Simeon Landing. (1-9-06)

Cambria and Cayucos

Near Pico Creek, north of Cambria. (1-9-06)

Leffingwell Landing with dense fog. (2-24-06)

Leffingwell Landing, north of Moonstone Beach, Cambria.

The Squibb House on Burton Drive, Cambria.

Surfers, from the pier at Cayucos.

Fog on the beach at Cayucos. (2-24-06)

Morro Bay

Power plant and Morro Rock.

Sunset on the Morro Bay breakwater.

Next to the power plant cooling water intake on Morro Bay. (3-23-07)

The T-Pier next to the Morro Bay power plant. (3-23-07)

The fishing boat harbor at Morro Bay.

Pickleweed flats at Morro Bay State Park. (2-24-06)

The Morro Bay State Park Museum. (2-24-06)

Sweet Springs nature preserve, Baywood Park, on Morro Bay.

Montaña de Oro State Park

The sand spit beach protecting Morro Bay.

Dunes above Shark Inlet, Montaña de Oro.

Coastal sage scrub, behind the dunes at Montaña de Oro.

Spooners Cove, Montaña de Oro State Park.

Cypress windbreak, visitor center at Montaña de Oro.

Late afternoon on the clifftops at Montaña de Oro.

Avila and Pismo Beach

On the pier in Port San Luis.

On the beach in the town of Avila Beach.

On the clifftop above Cave Landing.

Guadalupe, Point Sal, and Surf

In the Guadalupe Dunes near Nipomo.

Remnants of the Ten Commandments movie set in the Guadalupe Dunes.

The beach at Surf, surrounded by Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Next Guidebook: El Camino Real through Central California